


The Colour of Love

by Misskiku



Series: lonashipping week 2020 [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions, Pocket Monsters: Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon | Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Versions
Genre: Confessions, F/M, Fluff, Lonashipping Week, lonaweek 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:54:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25395703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Misskiku/pseuds/Misskiku
Summary: lonashipping week 2020Day 1: Alizarin Crimson
Relationships: Gladio | Gladion/Mizuki | Selene (Pokemon Sun & Moon)
Series: lonashipping week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1839319
Comments: 15
Kudos: 23





	The Colour of Love

Love takes many different forms. Many different shapes and feelings and colours. The love Moon had for her mother was secure and strong. Familiar and warm, a love that she could return to at any time and feel safe. A love that was soft and cozy like a thick blanket, a love of tight hugs and early mornings spent lazying around in the kitchen.

Moon's love for Hau was bright like the sun. Bright and dazzling, filled with laughter and smiles and hugs. A love that she could go to whenever she felt down and blue, whenever she needed the comfort of his smile. His love was the bright yellow of sunflowers, kind and gentle and soft like his Raichu. It was always there, always knew how to pick her back up with jokes and cheery laughter. It was the deep love of her best friend and rival. A love that pierced through her darkness, her fear, and gave her strength. A love that she could rely on. 

When it came to Lillie, Moon's love for her quiet and soft, white and pure like a blanket of fresh snow. It was blinding yet gentle. Unmissable and striking, a guiding light in the night like the soft glow of the moon. It was always there, no matter the distance between them. It was a love that never changed, never faded, consistent and strong through the late night calls filled with laughter and tears. It was felt through the quiet goodbyes, the whispers of "I miss you" that they shared. It was a love that Moon felt long after they hung up, smiling with the knowledge that nothing had changed.

There was another type of love that Moon had struggled to place. A colour that kept changing, a feeling that kept swimming and swirling and blending into a mess she couldn't define. A first, it was black like the night. Hidden behind walls of distrust and fear, behind biting words and flippant comments. And then it had softened. Cracks had formed, and the dark veil had lifted as Moon realised there was more to him than just another Team Skull member. There was more to Gladion than his sharp glares and prickly demeanor.

Black faded into grey as little moments fell into place. It was murky and clouded, but there was more to him, a depth she couldn't yet reach. She realised that with a start the first time he trusted her. His apology for dragging her into a meaningless battle cleared the water between them. And when he'd smiled, the very first time Moon had seen him smile, that night on the docks as they waited for Hau, the dark fog around his heart had lifted. Moon felt warm. There was a trickle of colour, of light, and the world had changed. Everything was brighter. Her heart pounded harder. 

She trusted him. She followed his lead without question into the Aether Paradise. His stubborn determination, the drive burning behind his eyes, gave her the confidence she needed to stand by his side and fight. He blazed like a wildfire and she felt safe. She stood tall when he faltered, when he lost to Guzma and began to sink into his fear and doubt and darkness again. She stood tall. The fire she'd felt burning in him ignited in her chest and she fought. She fought for Gladion, for herself, for Hau and for Lillie. 

His words resonated with her, deep in her heart. 

_ "You know… I know we aren't friends, but I'm glad you two are here…" _

That was enough for her. 

* * *

She couldn't deny it any longer when they met at the base of Mount Lanakila. The thrum of her heart was too warm, too loud, and she knew immediately the colour her love towards him had taken as they fought. It was no longer that empty void of black, dark like his familiar hoodie. It burnt bright and warm, a searing colour that washed over her cheeks like the slash of crimson on the front of Gladion's hoodie.

The faint smile he gave her tugged on her heart, but the words he spoke cut deep like an icy blade through her chest. 

"I know we aren't friends… but we aren't enemies anymore either." 

They weren't friends.

The pieces of her shattered heart filled her chest with broken glass. Bleeding with every breath, her love ran red and pooled in her lungs until she couldn't breathe.

It hurt. 

Her love was the colour of blood. 

* * *

She hadn't wanted to see him again. Not really. Something had tugged on her heart and she'd made her way to Aether Paradise once again without thinking. Her wounded heart hadn't yet healed, and it thumped with a stab of pain and warmth when she saw him, and her love, that dark crimson, washed over everything and she smiled. Her heart fluttered as though it had grown wings and she couldn't care about the pain. Her love for him was brighter and stronger, vibrant and vivid and burning. It was a blaze in her lungs. The flush on her cheeks that softened her smile. 

It was a love that soothed everything else away. 

And the words he said, a knowing smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, made her wonder if there was something else, something more, to the way he looked at her. 

"Maybe it's time I see a bit more of the world myself… starting with that Pokemon League, I think. I hear that Alola's got a real strong Champion." 

She wondered if he knew. 

* * *

He came.

Moon's heart leapt in her chest when Gladion ascended the stairs before her, the pinnacle of the Pokemon League. She rose to her feet to meet him, unable to hold back her smile. 

"You made it," she said, surprised at how breathless and giddy she sounded.

The determination in his eyes solidified her suspicion that he'd known all along that she was Alola's Champion. 

"Hmph, of course I did. I came here for one reason and one reason only." Gladion lifted his hand and pointed right at her, the gesture making her pulse skip as though he'd tugged on the tight strings of her heart. "To defeat you. Everyone has their own reasons for coming here… but for me, I want the strongest rival for myself." 

Moon's heart thumped harder and louder in her chest. She smiled at him, her blood blazing from his words, and for a moment she found it difficult to breathe. 

"Good luck with that," she taunted, grinning. "I'm not so easy to pin down, and I won't go down without a fight!" 

A smile spread over his face as though he'd expected that response. 

"I wouldn't have it any other way." 

* * *

The battle was tough but, as always, Moon was triumphant in the end. She grinned at him as they recalled their Pokemon, and walked over to him. He was muttering something to himself, frustrated lines furrowing his brow. 

"That wasn't how this was supposed to go…" Gladion clicked his tongue, before wiping the scowl off his face and meeting her gaze. 

"Like I said, I'm not easy to pin down! You've got a lot of rivals to complete with if you want to defeat me," she teased.

His eyes lingered on hers. "It was close, but not close enough. Not if I want to defeat you and keep you all to myself…"

She blinked at him, unsure if she'd heard that right. She laughed, trying to hide the nervous crack in her voice. "Keep me all to yourself? Not sure if all my other rivals would put up with that." 

He folded his arms. "They'll have to deal with it, one way or another."

The silence between them, the determination in Gladion's eyes, became too much for Moon. She pursed her lips and swallowed the anxious buzzing in her lungs. 

"You know, you really shouldn't be saying things like that," she said quietly. 

His eyes widened slightly. "Saying things like what?" 

"About keeping me all to yourself." She smiled faintly. She knew what was coming and braced herself for it. "You might give me the wrong idea if you say things like that so easily. Since… I know you don't feel the same way about me." 

Gladion stared. His mouth dropped open in shock and Moon didn't want to give him a chance to speak. Not now. 

"It's okay, you don't have to say anything." She breathed a dejected laugh. "I know, I know we're not friends, that you see me as a rival, but I… had to say something. I had to tell you." She managed a smile. A soft, gentle smile forced through the pain, the anticipation of what was to come. The wound on her heart threatened to reopen. 

"I like you, Gladion. A lot. And I mean that in a romantic way. I have for a while." 

Her smile was no longer forced. It was gentle and free, a smile of relief and honesty. 

"I hope this doesn't change anything; my feelings towards you, I mean," she said sheepishly. "I still want to be your rival." 

He was still staring, those gorgeous emerald eyes of his wide in shock. He blinked a few times before his shoulders sagged, and he dropped his head into his hand with a heavy sigh.

"Why are you… always one step ahead of me?" he muttered, his voice strained.

"What?" 

Heat simmered behind the usually placid emerald of his eyes, burning into Moon as he raised his head and met her gaze. 

"You say that you know I don't feel the same… and here I was, going to confess to you if I'd won." 

It was her turn to stare. "You what?!" 

He took a step closer as the heat in his eyes began to pool on his cheeks. Crimson. 

"I feel the same," Gladion said, stopping just a step away from her. His words were gentle and quiet, yet so loud in the silence between them. 

Moon's heart skipped. "You… do?" 

His lips twitched in the beginning of a scowl. "Yes. That's what I said. Why else would I want to keep you to myself?" 

His eyes slid away from hers for a moment before returning like a snap of elastic. Drawn back to hers. 

She drew closer to him. "Then say it." 

The air crackled between them. They stood a few inches apart, breaths mingling, their eyes fixed on one another. 

"I already did." 

"Say it properly," she urged. "So I know what you mean. So I won't take it the wrong way, so it's not ambiguous, so I  _ know- _ Please. I want to hear you say it." 

His mouth drew into a stubborn line. The crimson on his cheeks darkened and he leant closer. His lips brushed her ear. 

"I love you." 

Her gasp split the silence. Dizzying heat flooded her body and Moon clung to the front of Gladion's hoodie when his arms wrapped around her. His hands settled high on her back, pulling her into him. Against him. She burned inside and out, and knew her face was as flushed as his. 

"G-Gladion," Moon squeaked. She squeezed her eyes shut, unable to think or breathe or move. She couldn't believe this was happening. 

His shaky sigh tickled her ear and she shivered. "You really thought I didn't feel the same…?" 

"You… you said we weren't friends so I… I didn't think you liked me very much." She buried her face in his chest at her admission. His cheek nuzzled into her temple, she swore she felt his lips ghost over the crest of her ear. 

"I did, didn't I?" 

She could hear the sheepish smile in his voice. 

"Even then… I knew what I felt towards you wasn't friendship. It was… so much more." 

"You mean…? That's why you said that?" 

Her heart thrummed. The pain was gone. She slid her arms around him as she melted into his embrace. 

"You know, you really need to be more direct," she chuckled. "You're always giving me the wrong idea." 

"I said I wanted the strongest rival to myself. I thought that was clear enough." 

Moon snorted. "It's not! And what were you going to do if you  _ had _ won? You can't be the Champion  _ and _ the president of the Aether Foundation." 

"I don't see why not." 

She shook her head with a laugh. "You don't need to defeat me to have me to yourself. My heart belongs to you, Gladion. It has for a while." 

Her words made Gladion pull her tighter against him, his arms squeezing her firmly as he sighed. His warmth bled into her, comforting and gentle, like a crackling fire on a cold winter's night. A steady flame in the darkness. Crimson like the blush on his cheeks, softening his gaze when he pulled away enough to meet her eyes. 

And it made her smile. 


End file.
